Choosing the right cooking appliances may be a tricky task to do. How do you know which cooker is the best for your kitchen? What cooker type do you think which will suit your cooking activities best? Below here, I will give short description and explanation on each appliance to help you to help you to understand the characteristics of them.

Hobs

Electric: these have either heating elements under sealed plates or a ceramic glass top. Sealed plates are slower, less responsive and more awkward to clean. Look for ones with a red dot in the centre as these are speedier. Glass topped hobs can cover conventional radiant rings or halogen bulbs. Halogen is slightly quicker and more responsive but not as fast as gas when it reverts to simmering.

Gas: these are the quickest from of heating but they are more awkward to clean. Models with lids have a safety device cutting off the supply to the burners if accidentally closed.

Specific modular units: such items as deep fat fryers, wok burners and griddles can be built into the surface.

Ovens

Built in ovens: can be single (60cm[24in] high) or double cavity (90cm [36in] high).

There are three main types of microwave and the choice will depend on the type of cooking you want to do. Whichever type you choose, remember they cook more quickly than conventional ovens. Sizes vary from 0.4 to 0.8cu ft (compact) or 0.9 to 1.4 cu ft (family). The wattage indicates the power output of the oven. The higher the wattage, the quicker the microwave will reheat. Look for power outputs of around 800-900 watts. Too high and food cooks too quickly and can burn at the edges. Food cannot be stacked in a microwave so it is the turntable size that is more important than the height. Useful programmers include auto defrost and auto cook; auto minute; multi sequence cooking; jet start and minute minder.

Microwave only: a good choice if you just want to defrost and reheat food quickly, but they don’t brown the surface of food.

Microwave with grill: will also brown the surface of food. Grills are either radiant, similar to a conventional electric oven or quartz. Neither type is as powerful as a conventional oven grill, so cooking can be slow.